Take the Plunge Swimsuit – Pattern Release!

Here I am again today, two posts in a row! I couldn’t resist, because Patterns for Pirates released a new design today, which I had the chance to test – the Take The Plunge Swimsuit. And I love it! I bet you’re starting to think I only sew swim these days…

Since I had the same fabric left over from my previous swimwear, I ended up with more mixy-matchy suits! And of course I absolutely could not resist the pink flamingos from Raspberry Creek. I realized the stripes coordinated perfectly as well – even better!

This pattern is pretty awesome. And sooooo flattering on every woman I saw who tested it! You don’t get that everyday, especially not with swimwear. I think the middle band is what really seals the deal and helps define curves within the one-piece. The crossover front is awesome too, I can see why it would be nursing friendly for moms, too!

The low back option here is my absolute favorite. It’s so different (I don’t think I’ve seen it much on ready to wear items) and it adds a nice unexpected detail to the back. I will say, it is kinda tricky to tie by yourself! I can do it, but it isn’t as pretty as this one Brian tied for me. 😉

While we’re talking about the back, there’s also options for halter, high back, and of course the hack I mentioned above! I made the halter version for my flamingo suit, and then converted it into the criss cross back for these photos, too. Super easy!

Because I’m tall, I’m pretty sure I haven’t owned a one piece swimsuit since I was probably 6 years old. Well, now I own two and it’s certainly nice to have options! It’s very easy to add or remove length/height in this pattern, since the band is a clearly defined point of reference. I ended up adding 1″ to the bottoms in the solid suit and 1″ to the top and bottoms for the flamingo one, which I think fits better. The pattern comes with measurements with each size so that you can easily determine if you need to make any changes for height.

The question I know everyone is asking…is it hard? Well, to be honest, it’s not something most people (including myself!) can knock out in an hour or two. But that said, I don’t think it is particularly challenging in terms of concepts and technique. Going slowly, reading the instructions more than once, and basting before sewing go a long way. If you have even a general level of experience, you can do this! I used to be soooooo intimidated by sewing swim. In fact, last year when the Siren/Hello Sailor was released, I remember thinking there was no way I could make that. Well, here I am now having made two of those and two of these – I wish someone had told me it wasn’t that hard earlier!

I’d say for me the trickiest thing was attaching the long band (halter or low back in my case) to the short front band. But like most things, this takes time, practice, and some skill. 😉 The rest is easily achievable!

I’m definitely approaching picture overload here but can you blame me…the sun was perfect and the beach was decently empty (at least where we were). It was also swelteringly hot, but we can look past that…

How about some outtakes?! Gotta love a suit that stays in place! Ha! Also, this watermelon boat is always parked by the lake and once we saw it go by in the 4th of July parade. I couldn’t resist. 🙂

So…if you’re afraid to sew swim, don’t be! One month ago I had zero handmade swimsuits. Now I have five! (And counting…) 😉

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